The present invention relates to devices for inhibiting the theft of relatively small but expensive pieces of equipment such as computers, telephones and the like. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a theft preventing lock for computers, tablets and the like, which has a locking element that is designed to be received in a trapezoidal or conical, security cavity or slot, where the cavity/slot is located very low, close to the surface on which the equipment is resting, e.g. within 3 mm of that surface.
The present invention is also directed to a computer security lock of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,989, the contents of which are incorporated fully by reference herein. Prior art FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 herein correspond, respectively, to FIGS. 2, 9 and 13A of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,989.
In FIG. 1, an electronic computer or a keyboard 10 has a security slot into which is inserted a lock 12 which has a cable assembly 14 with a flexible cable 16 and a loop 18. This type of a lock can be used to attach itself to the keyboard 10 and to be tethered to an immovable object, in well known manner.
The lock 12 has a locking element 20 (FIG. 2) which can be inserted through a rectangular, 3×7 mm security slot 22 that is formed in and through the wall 24 of the keyboard, or tablet, or telephone or any small and expensive object 10. The pins 26 prevent rotation of the lock body relative to the security slot 22, and the locking element is rotated behind the wall 24, bearing against the rear surface 24a of the wall 24.
The cable assembly 14 can be coupled to the lock body with a sleeve 28. The wall 24 of the equipment 10 is formed with the slot 22 (FIG. 3).
The prior art rectangular security slot measuring 3×7 mm and having a rotatable T-bar locking element, e.g., 20, poses issues of complexity, insufficient sturdiness and proneness to breakage in some respects.
Another drawback of the prior art mechanism is that the T-bar locking element 20 needs to rotate behind the wall 24 of the piece of equipment and, as a result, can cause interference with other internal components.
The present invention improves upon the locks described relative to the present inventor's prior development of a novel security cavity or slot that has been referred to as the “trapezoidal slot”, and the prior locking heads for that slot, as described for example in the inventor's pending application Ser. No. 14/727,354 and in his U.S. Pat. No. 9,137,911, the full contents of which are incorporated herein.